By Jeremy Walsh
Former Corona and Bayside resident Arelia Taveras, 37, is seeking $20 million from the Atlantic City casinos where she racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling debt, according to a complaint she filed in New Jersey's federal district court in September 2007.Taveras, who now lives in Minnesota, is representing herself, though she has been disbarred.Before being disbarred, Taveras was a prominent attorney in the borough, serving as counsel for state Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) and writing “The Gangsta Girl's Guide to Child Support,” a book for single mothers on family court.Taveras was disbarred by the New York State Court of Appeals in June 2007 after several of her clients accused her of stealing nearly $100,000 from them. In November, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown filed grand larceny, forgery and fraud charges against her. If convicted, she faces up to seven years in prison.According to court records, Taveras told the New York Appeals Court grievance committee she took her clients' money to help feed her gambling problem.Though Taveras said she started visiting the casinos in 2003, her gambling habits became more dramatic in January 2005, when she began to gamble for several days at a time, often falling asleep at the tables.By the end of July 2005, she said, she was betting all the hands at a table simultaneously to keep other players away.Staff nicknamed her the Blackjack Queen, she said.In the lawsuit, Taveras alleges the management at the Resorts International and MGM Grand casinos recognized her gambling addiction, but did nothing to keep her from the tables.She said her behavior was ignored, even after it was reported by a pit boss to upper management.After these incidents, she continued gambling at other casinos, which invited her based on shared marketing agreements, Taveras alleged.Lawyers for the casinos denied any negligence in the matter and accused Taveras of personal negligence in her own gambling habits.She said that during one five-day binge, she stayed at the tables constantly, living on orange juice and Snickers bars the casino staff brought her.Taveras lost $150,000 during a single weekend in September 2005, according to the lawsuit. She was kicked out of the casino shortly afterward when she refused to sign a waiver of liability, she said.She blames the casinos for being disbarred and losing her home and social status.The case is due for a phone conference on April 22.Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
